Good Information by the previous posters for you.. I'd like to add my 2 cents. I'm about your size at 6ft tall and 195 lbs. and been sailing since 1985.

1. The Retro is a great sail, i use an 8.5 and 7.0 myself. Make sure you Downhaul the sail enough. Most beginners make the mistake of under downhauling the sail and it makes it much more powerful and unforgiving. The floppy leach has to at least reach the little half cog marker on the second panel (from the top). Use the information on the sail as a guideline only. I find that when i set my mast base to the recommended length on the sail and crank it all the way down it is not the correct downhaul. (IE my 490 Joystick mast and 18cm of extension on my chinook mastbase = the 508 luff called for on the sail specs. I use 2cm more of extension to make sure that leach is floppy where it is supposed to be).

2. The fin is a much ignored part of the equipment equation. It is perhaps (IMHO) the most important component of your rig. I use MFC Liquid pro 48cm with my 8.5 and 42cm with my 7.0. So with a 8.0 Retro i would suggest at least 44cm or 46cm of whichever brand you like.

3. You also live in a gusty area by the sounds of it. Don't get frustrated by the wind! Half the time it will seem you are holding on for dear life...way overpowered, then the next minute you won't be able to plane. It is the nature of inland winds, unfortunately.

Seems I could fit a unifiber constant curve to the retro for half the price of the joystick.
I see constant recommendations for beginners to use smaller sails so will the 8 be manageable?
I'd really prefer just to have 1 sail for now for cost.

I just got back into windsurfing in the last few years, after a 20 year hiatus. I purchased a lot of stuff from Bruno at 2-rad. He will give you very good advice on what to get. He also has used gear at very good prices. Getting back into the sport, you will be hard on gear, so anything that you can get used and save money on, is a good thing.

Out of all my gear, my most used sail is definitely the Retro 8.0 that I purchased, and I am at about 90-95 kg. So, you definitely cant go wrong with that one. Even on my trips to Hatteras, it is still the most used. Bruno highly recommended the Retros.

Recently, I purchased a huge longboard and a cammed 9.5 Raceboard sail. It is a total blast, and is still a lot of fun in non-planing conditions, or for cruising through the lulls. The sail can be really hard to uphaul, depending on the position of the sail. I got an easy-uphaul, that makes things a lot easier.

The cool thing about the longboard is that you can easily get WAY upwind. And, youll get a lot more days out on the water, compared to boards that are shorter and wider. Windsurfing on an gusty day with a longboard becomes more of a flying and gliding day, instead of a screaming then stalling then screaming day, if that makes any sense. The whole experience is just much smoother. If you have a chance to try out a longboard, I highly recommend it. The Retro should work fine with most longboards too, as well as a shortboard at around 135L for when the winds are stronger and more consistent.

Of course, it is a matter of preference. However, from all sail makes I've tried, those sails have quite a distinct feel in regards to soft power and balance (Severne's are famous for their balanced feel). As always, the sail should be rigged properly first
Severnes are my distinguished favorites (Gator and Blade).
And a novice should keep in mind that many brands are quite sensitive to the mast. So it is better to ensure that your mast fits to your sail. It is BIG difference (for many sails, Severne included)!

I started with an old good cammed (2) sail from Neil Pryde. it is long gone now. I tried other NP after that and did not liked them (too twitchy, or heavy, or poor quality materials). I tried Sailworks Retro (great sail), Ezzy ( too rigid and sharp), old North sails... Severne - the best!

As a guy who used to work in a shop, I don't think it's fair to say that they're all 'trying to move those sizes'... I think most guys in shops mean well and want you to get the most sailing days possible on the water. If anything, they sometimes like to think beginners have more knowledge than they actually do, and put them in gear that might be too complex.

That being said, I think 7.5 is too big. The first post on this thread described someone that 'has windsurfed a few times and sailed when I was younger' - not ready for a 7.5... and I think most of your feedback on this thread is from guys who maybe forget how difficult these larger sizes can be to manage... if they even owned that size as a beginner.

In my opinion, a 6.5 the best option for you if you are trying to do this on one sail. it is small enough to be more manageable while you're regaining your old windsurfing muscle memory but large enough that on a 140L board, you should still be able to have plenty of fun. also, many will work on a 430 mast, which would then be useful for your smaller sail sizes down the road. My first kit: 6.4 sail, 140L board, 460cm mast. enough board to cruise around but still controllable on a plain. enough sail to enjoy 'breezy' days with some plaining time but not a total pig to uphaul, tack, jibe, etc.

Agree about the Severne and North comments though. Both excellent quality... I have a 6.5 Gator that is a peach.